Yankees vs. Royals prediction, odds, time: 2026 MLB picks for Saturday, April 18 from proven model

The New York Yankees will look to make it two in a row when they take on the Kansas City Royals in the second of their three-game series on Saturday. New York is coming off a 4-2 win over Kansas City on Friday night. The Royals (7-13), who have lost five straight, are 2-8 on the road this season. The Yankees (11-9), who are second in the American League East, are 6-5 on their home field.

First pitch from Yankee Stadium in New York City is set for 1:35 p.m. ET. The Yankees lead the all-time series 338-215, including wins in 11 of the last 12 meetings. New York is a -163 favorite on the money line (risk $163 to win $100) in the latest Yankees vs. Royals odds, while the over/under, is 8. Before making any Royals vs. Yankees picks, be sure to see the Royals vs. Yankees predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model. 

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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It was a profitable 35-29 on top-rated MLB money-line picks last season. It also excelled making home run prop picks in 2025, returning nearly 30 units of profit. Anybody following its MLB betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.    

Now, the model has set its sights on Royals vs. Yankees and just locked in its picks and MLB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several MLB odds and betting lines for Yankees vs. Royals:

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Top Royals vs. Yankees predictions 

After 10,000 simulations of Yankees vs. Royals, the model is going Over 8 combined runs. For over-under betting, the Over has hit in four of the last seven Kansas City games. New York has scored 90 runs on the season, 12th-best in MLB and fifth-best in the American League. The Yankees are fifth in MLB in home runs with 25.

SportsLine's model projects more than 2.1 total bases for Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. The Royals have three other players who are projected to have more than 1.5 total bases, including Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez. New York has four players projected to register 1.5 or more total bases, including Aaron Judge with 2.47. Others include Giancarlo Stanton, Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger. The model projects 8.8 combined runs. giving value to the Over. Get the Royals vs. Yankees money-line pick at SportsLine.

How to make Yankees vs. Royals picks

After simulating every pitch of Yankees vs. Royals 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can get that pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins Royals vs. Yankees, and which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its MLB picks, and find out.